Amy Klobuchar’s Final Dinner With Melissa Hortman: Hours Later, Her Friend Was Dead in a Political Assassination
ST. PAUL, MN — Hours before Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were gunned down in what officials call a “politically motivated assassination,” she was enjoying dinner with longtime friend and colleague Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Now, in the wake of the shocking double homicide, Klobuchar is speaking out — with raw emotion and a dire warning about political violence in America.
“I wish everyone had known her like we knew her,” Klobuchar told Politico. “She was tough and no-nonsense, but with kindness and humor. She made things happen.”
A Friendship That Spanned Decades
Klobuchar and Hortman’s bond stretched back more than 20 years, to the early 2000s when Klobuchar was Hennepin County Attorney and Hortman, a young mother of two, was just entering the Minnesota legislature.
“I remember her doorknocking, balancing campaigns with Girl Scouts and Sunday school,” Klobuchar said. “That’s who Melissa was — service in every part of her life.”
Hortman rose through the ranks to become Speaker of the Minnesota House, a position she held from 2019 until Republicans narrowly flipped control in early 2025.
“She managed legislators the way she managed kids — with patience, firmness, and grace,” Klobuchar reflected. “She once turned off the mute button the last Speaker used to silence people and said, ‘I’ve got a gavel. That’s all I need.’”
The Dinner Before the Horror
The two shared a quiet meal just hours before Melissa and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed in their home in Brooklyn Park.
Klobuchar said she learned of her friend’s death from Gov. Tim Walz at 5 a.m. Saturday morning.
“I was just with her. Then I got that call,” Klobuchar told CNN. “This has gotten totally out of hand.”
A Nationwide Threat
Authorities have identified the suspect as 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter, a former appointee of Gov. Walz, who is also accused of wounding Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in a separate attack just an hour earlier.
Boelter wore a police-style uniform and a latex mask during the assaults, and left behind a deranged manifesto naming 70 political figures — including Gov. Walz, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, and others in Minnesota’s congressional delegation.
Though Klobuchar was not named in the document, federal officials say she and other prominent figures are now under increased security.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has since requested additional protection for Klobuchar and Sen. Tina Smith.
“Good People Still Have to Run”
In a Sunday interview with CNN’s State of the Union, Klobuchar expressed both grief and defiance.
“This kind of violence, this rage — it’s not normal,” she said. “If good people stop running for office because of fear, our democracy doesn’t stand.”
She cited alarming statistics: In 2016, members of Congress faced 1,700 threats. In 2024, that number exploded to over 9,000.
“We need to lower the temperature. We need to protect our democracy — and the people who serve it,” she said.
A Targeted Killing?
Just days before her death, Hortman had made headlines for breaking with her party and casting a key vote to strip illegal immigrants of state-funded health care. Her dramatic decision, which handed Republicans a crucial win in a deadlocked House, had left many within her own DFL Party frustrated.
Whether that vote played a role in the assassin’s motive remains unclear, but investigators have not ruled it out.
Meanwhile, Boelter — considered armed and extremely dangerous — remains on the run. His vehicle was found with “No Kings” flyers, referencing the growing anti-authoritarian protest movement that coincided with a wave of violence across several states this weekend.
Mourning, But Moving Forward
Outside the Minnesota State Capitol, flowers and signs mark a makeshift memorial: “RIP Melissa Hortman,” one reads. Another: “Democracy Bleeds.”
“I hope her legacy is one of strength and service,” Klobuchar said. “She didn’t just talk about doing the right thing. She did it. Even when it cost her.”
If you have any information about the whereabouts of Vance Luther Boelter, contact the FBI tip line or your local authorities. Do not approach the suspect.